Their day turned out to be a beautiful day. The weather was gorgeous and everything ran so smoothly.

Not to mention it was so fun for us to reconnect with some old high school buddies.

Alex and Liz, Hope you are soaking up the sun in Paradise Island. Thanks again for letting us be a part of your wedding.

Here is a little recap.

I kinda fell in love with these two little beauties…

Congrats Liz! And so good to see you girls

Today’s Tidbits post is on Wedding Albums and Books.

What’s the big deal about them anyways? Why are they so expensive? And is it something brides really need to invest in?

I think it is pretty easy for everyone to agree that it is important to have great images to look back on and remember your wedding day. Today, in a digital age, we have more options than ever to do that.

We offer three packages here at Captured Photography for weddings. All three include a disc with the images (because I think it is so important to have digital copies of your photos). Two of our packages also include albums. Sometimes when my brides are trying to decide between the non-album package and the ones with them, they ask my opinion.

I thought I would share it here as well. I think the disc is important… but to me.. it shouldn’t replace having a wedding album.

I know that when I first got married I received my disc and boom… I had my wedding photos everywhere. My wallpaper on my desktop, my phone, on the walls in the house, etc. But, to be honest, all of those things have now been replaced by photos of my kids and us as a family. It doesn’t mean that I don’t still treasure my wedding images… life has just changed.

Now, I still have my disc… but do I pull that out to look at the photos? Unfortunately, not very often at all. Remember a disc includes lots and lots of photos (our clients usually receive anywhere from 800-1000 on their disc). Who has time to sit and look through that many images on a regular basis?

An album can be a way to view your favorite images in just minutes. You can sit there for a moment and flip through the pages and be taken back to that special day.

Here are some other practical reasons I think they are the bomb-diggity.

An album can be personally designed for you.

There are more album cover styles to pick from today than ever before. Not only that, our albums are designed based on your favorite images, not ours. So the album includes the photos you LOVE.

An album gives you something to show friends and family.

No offense, but your friends and family probably aren’t going to want to sit and look through 800 photos either. It is much easier to show your wedding album than it is to fire up a computer and search for your pictures every time you want to show them to someone.

An album gives you something to show your grand-babies.

Though we give our clients advice on how to back up and save their digital images, the chances of people losing them 50 years down the road is probably decent. An album is something you can keep for generations to come. Your children and grandchildren will want to know what you looked like on your wedding day. How awesome to be able to show them through a book?

An album is something you can touch and feel.

It may be artsy-fartsy of me but, staring at pictures on a computer screen isn’t the same as flipping through the pages of an album or having prints.

A professional album is worth the money.

I’ve heard it before, “Why do I need an album from my photographer? I’ve got the digital files, I can make my own prints and put them in my own album.”  Yes you can make your own album with your disc, but it won’t be the same. Professional-quality, custom-made album companies only sell to professional photographers. That means your options are to buy the type of album with slip-in plastic sleeves or a hardcover book style you can order online. A lot of the time their books are printed on a paper that will not last through the years. It is easy to rip and the quality will fade. Not only that, you will have to put in the time. It can easily take Shelly 2-3 full days to pull your files, retouch any images needed, and design the album.

I know that not everyone can afford to have the photographer you want AND a package with an album. If I was faced with that decision.. I would go with the right photographer and work on getting an album after the wedding. Most photographers do sell them ala carte later. Who knows? You can even ask for it as a wedding gift?

Hope this helped you in making your decision!

And, because it is always fun to show photos of what we are talking about. Here are some of the albums and books we offer at Captured.

This is the Flushmount. The type of album we include with our wedding packages.

And the Thinbook. This is great for Guest Books (filled with Engagement Session images). They are also becoming popular for Parent Books.

I was thinking about what to post today… and thought back on the last month of weddings we just finished up.  April was an awesome month! Each of the weddings though, had some pretty big unexpected moments or events pop up.

One constant theme was the unpredictable Florida weather. Every single one of the weddings was outside (which I love), but unfortunately, that also meant that every single one dealt with rain. This caused a bit of stress… but in the end, each of them turned out beautifully and the couples had a blast!

If it is weather or something else, I am finding that things don’t always go as planned at weddings.

So, what do you do? Whether you are the photographer or a bride… I hope these little tidbits of advice help.

First up, when something goes wrong, DON”T PANIC! Your first reaction may be to freak… but just take a deep breath (sigh). Weigh out the options and remember what’s important. You love him. He loves you. You are getting married. No matter what. Photographers… just remind your bride of this in a soothing, loving way. And listen, you have to come with a flexible attitude as well. Don’t stress your bride out! You may not get to do photos as planned… but it will be ok! I can honestly say that it really does work out. A lot of times, even for the better.

A small example, Juan and Laura’s wedding. It poured. Like buckets and buckets ALL day. Laura kept her cool. I mean we were even singing Bob Marley’s, “Don’t worry bout a thing.” And the rain did stop. Not only did it stop… the clouds rolled away and gave us this incredible sky. A sky that only came because of those storms. And… it worked out! They were still able to be married on the beach.

Another example, my brother’s wedding. We forgot the rings (whoops). My husband and I were able to let them borrow our bands for the ceremony and now I think it is kind of cool that we were both married with the same rings.

Sometimes when things go wrong, you just have to laugh. Zane and Jenna had a sparkler exit at the end of their wedding. What they didn’t expect was for the sparklers to set off the fire alarm and evacuate the entire hotel. While it wasn’t funny at first… everyone began laughing about it outside. And what a story, right?

Those are just a few examples… but there are so many more. It will work out!

Second piece of advice. Have a BACK UP. Not every problem that pops up on a wedding day can be prevented or solved but, here are some items you may want to have in a little bag in case it is something you can fix

FOR BRIDES-

-A detailed schedule prepared for the day (allow room in the schedule for things to run late, go wrong, etc).

-Friends that can help you with day of problems or even better a Wedding Planner.

-Extra hair items… brush/comb, bobby pins, hairspray

-Makeup

-Tissues

-Mending kit/safety pins

-Aspirin

-Crazy glue

-Double stick tape or fashion tape

-Mints

-Water

-Deodorant

-Mirror

-Baby wipes/Stain remover cloths

-Protein Bar

-Eye drops

-Scissors

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS-

-Lots of Back Up Equipment

-Extra Lighting Equipment

-Snacks (in case you can’t sit to eat)

-Aspirin

-Coke (caffeine always helps)

-A ton of knowledge about the details of the day/schedule

-Umbrella

-An idea of where you want to shoot your portraits and a back up plan for rain

-Arrive early

-Flexible Attitude

Hope this helps in a time of need! And like I said just remember what is important if something does come up.

Oh, and does anyone want to share some funny stories of something you witnessed at wedding? Maybe something that went wrong… but worked out?

She was so kind from the first moment until the last. And it wasn’t the easiest day. It poured. Even with plans changing several times… she kept her cool and remained incredibly positive.

Richard made her laugh a lot (so that helped).

Thanks you two for allowing us to be there to capture such an important day! Hope you enjoy this preview.

South Beach Make Up Studio did an awesome job with the hair and makeup.

The wedding was at the beautiful Vizcaya in Miami. Special thanks to these Rich and Danielle for being brave and dodging the rain to get some beautiful portraits.

The flowers were done by Blooming Flowers. I love all of the purples. So pretty.

Bill Hansen Catering had yummy food coming all night.

The storm clouds rolled away and the sky looked incredible!

I loved mom’s face here watching her husband and daughter dance…

Look at this yummy dessert table TC Events set up. Yum.

We love David from AA Musicians.  He always keeps the party moving. And, how awesome is his giant touch screen?

Congrats you two!

Well, tomorrow is the infamous…

Shelly and I heart Mexican food big time (we are borderline obsessed I think).  So, I know we will be celebrating this holiday!

I also thought it may be fun to give a little something away…. a $200 Captured Gift Card to be exact (whoa baby!)

Here’s how you can win. Just tag Captured Photography by Jenny in a facebook status sometime in the next 24 hours. Make sure you put the @ symbol before our name (so it is linked to facebook page)… or it won’t show us. We will draw a name and announce the winner tomorrow morning around 9:00am. Good luck!

And if you haven’t liked us yet on facebook.. please do. There’s always our latest work and updates right there. We would love for you to see it in your news feed so you don’t miss anything!

Have any questions, let us know.

And make sure you eat a burrito or something in the next day!

The girls and I are in Pahokee hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law.

Just wanted to let you know I am on Formspring… and officially will be better about answering questions you may have. Heck, if it’s a good one.. I may even do a full tidbits post on it here.

So… come on over and say hey…  :)

I guess when I was looking back on their day, I think couldn’t help but think about love.  I know what you are thinking, duh, shouldn’t a wedding make you think about love? Yes… but it wasn’t just they had an incredible love for each other… I mean that was obvious.  It was also how much they loved their family and friends too. Everything and everyone in their wedding had special meaning to them.

The wedding took place on Kelsey’s family’s farm, Estancia Culinaria. It is a beautiful Avocado Grove.

And though rain dampered part of the day… it didn’t damper anyone’s mood or fun. And the details… they were beautiful! From the outside furniture set up to the beautiful family chapel… this wedding will definitely go down as one of my favorites.

Thanks guys for allowing us to be a part of your love story. Hope you enjoy this little peek of your day below.

I love how Luna is watching….

Vivian’s Petals did the floral arrangements for the day.

Elegant Temptations made this creative cake.

Congrats you two!

Little babies are one of my favorite things to photograph… but definitely one of the most challenging.

Today’s tidbits has just a few simple tips I have found to work (at least for me) when photographing newborns. Hope it helps you too!

Tip #1- Timing and Location

I recommend trying to schedule your newborn session in advance. It is important you have that shoot within two weeks of the due date (if the baby arrives early/late you may have to adjust a bit but, usually this timing works well). It is important to photograph newborns during those first two weeks because they are pretty sleepy (and deep sleepers too…) and they are still so tiny. Babies grow really fast. A month old baby already looks so much different than a one week old baby. I also try and schedule the session at the family’s home. One, it is more comfortable for mom and dad. They don’t have to pack up their things to try and get out of the house. And two, in my opinion, it is kind of fun to capture the family in an environment that is true to that stage of life. They spend a lot of time at home snuggling that newborn those first few weeks… that’s what I want them to remember in the images.

Tip #2- Photograph the family with the baby. 

Getting some great shots of the baby individually is important. But, it is also important to get photos of mom, dad, and even siblings with the new addition. The interaction between them is pretty priceless. Try to encourage your clients to love on baby and each other.

Tip #3- Try and be calm and serene.

When you are calm, Mom will be calm and in turn our little subject will be as well. Have patience. I never try and rush a newborn session. Mom and Dad are still trying to figure this baby thing out most of the time. If I can see that the baby is too fussy, I will let Mom take over and do whatever it takes to soothe him/her. If  that means she needs to stop and feed the baby half way through the session, no worries. Then while Mom is cuddling the baby or tending to baby, I may take advantage of some good photo ops of the two of them together. Or I may use this time to photograph the nursery. A lot of thought goes in to the nursery… so I love to get some good shots of that for my clients.

Tip #4- Sleepy Photos

There is nothing quite like those photos of the newborns curled up in an adorable sleeping position. But, it takes patience and a few tries to get them that way. I usually try and pick a spot that is safe, comfy, and easy for the baby to naturally tuck their legs and sleep.

This would also a great time for your clients personalize their photos. While I am not a giant fan of using too many props or outfits, it is nice to have a personal prop or object in the photos. Maybe it means baby girl is wrapped up in a blanket great-grandma knitted or baby boy is laying on daddy’s army jacket, whatever it is, just remember to keep it simple. And if you can’t think of something specific… don’t feel like you have to copy something someone else has done (or something you saw on pinterest). I usually just suggest my clients use a basket or chair/couch that already matches their home decor. And honestly, the more simple the background, the more attention goes to the little one.

Tip #5- Get the little details.

Those little toes, hands, cheeks…. the newborn yumminess comes and goes in a blink. So don’t forget to grab shots of those little things that will change so quickly. It doesn’t have to be done with a studio backdrop either. You can do these kinds of shots anywhere. It could also be a shot to grab while the baby is using a paci or being soothed to sleep. If the shot is just of their toes… you will never know what was going on top